Text in Afrikaans / The research was directed at setting up guidelines for the counsellor dealing with the adolescent in a multicultural environment. The supposition of the study was that the adolescent in a multicultural environment should be treated by the counsellor with cultural empathy, understanding and insight. This process should be free from stereotyping and prejudice. Guidelines were set up using a combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with cultural therapy experts. For the purpose of this study Thomas and Rothman's intervention research model was applied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain information on the adolescent in therapy, which was combined with information found in literature in order to set up guidelines for counsellors. The researcher concludes that the counsellor dealing with the adolescent in a multicultural environment, has to possess sufficient cultural knowledge, cultural efficiency and cultural empathy to achieve a successful theurapeutic outcome. Guidelines for the counsellor who works with adolescents in a multicultural environment were set up successfully to bridge the current lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans / The utilization value of the paradoxical theory of change in Gestalt Play Therapy with adolescents Adolescents undergo significant changes on physical, emotional, and cognitive levels during this development stage. These changes have a great influence on their self-awareness. Most adolescents experience great problems with who they are and who they should be according to the expectations of others. This causes a never-ending process of efforts to change. Change can only take place if the adolescent is who he is, but not if he tries to be what he is not. The consequence hereof is that change cannot take place in the adolescent, because he should first become aware of who he is. The awareness of who he is leads to change. The paradoxical theory of change is all about being who one is and not about trying to be what others expect one to be. The adolescent should be accompanied to become aware of who he is, by utilization of the paradoxical theory, in order to be able grow and change. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the utilization value of the paradoxical theory of change in Gestalt Play Therapy with adolescents. In order to achieve this goal, the research process was directed by qualitative research, and triangulation was utilized as a technique for gathering information. Out of the processing and integration of conclusions drawn during the empirical investigation, data could contribute to exploration and description of the assessment of the paradoxical theory of change in Gestalt play therapy with adolescents. The aim of the investigation was therefore achieved, namely the exploration and description of the utilization value of the paradoxical theory of change in Gestalt Play Therapy with adolescents. / Play thearapy / M.Diac.

Ten selected yoga movements were successful applied in Gestalt Therapy to promote adolescent girls' awareness. The girls were between seventeen and eighteen years old. A review of the existing literature exercises indicated the value of meditation, breathing exercises, and relaxation exercises in the Gestalt therapeutic process. Hatha yoga however, offers a variety of movements that can be extracted and used as a resource for the promotion of awareness in the Gestalt therapeutic process. A case study method where research was only used as a tool to gain better insights concerning the use of yoga movements was followed. The study results indicated that awareness of the body, posture; muscles tension, the self, and the environment were promoted. After yoga movements were used as introduction to the session, the social experience of the group discussion afterwards seemed to have been positive. This form of awareness creation can contribute to adolescent girls' process of become aware in Gestalt Therapy. / Social Work / (M. Ed.)Play Therapy)

The aim of this research was to determine how Gestalt Therapy could be utilised to re-write life script. Transactional Analysis terminology was translated into Gestalt Therapy, especially the terms life script, life position and re-writing in the literature study. Gestalt Therapy concepts of importance for the research were also discussed in the literature study. An empirical study was conducted, involving one respondent, for whom Gestalt Therapy sessions were provided with the aim of determining how life script could be re-written through such intervention. Gestalt Therapy concepts and life script concepts were identified during the therapy process. A re-written life script was formulated by the researcher corresponding with the level of functioning of the respondent during therapy and in relation to the respondent's life position. The researcher deducts from the entire study, but especially from the empirical study that life script can be re-written by means of utilising Gestalt Therapy. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

Text in Afrikaans with summaries in Afrikaans and English / A pastoral Gestalt therapeutic intervention model was developed, implemented and evaluated in the research to facilitate the therapeutic process from guilt and shame to forgiveness. Guilt and shame can be traumatic self-conscious experiences which has an impact on abused late adolescent's physical, psychological, social, emotional, moral and religious development. It can determine the adolescent's behavior, their views of themselves and their interpersonal relationships. Guilt and shame arouses feelings of helplessness, anger, blame, bitterness and the need for retaliation, while forgiveness can relieve these impulses effectively and be utilized as a source for a recovering experience. In designing the intervention model, the researcher studied adolescents' emotional experience, behaviour and management of guilt, shame and forgiveness from a pastoral base theory within the Gestalt therapeutic perspective. The formation of the paradigm is based on a multidisciplinary approach which takes place on the interface between pastoral counselling and Gestalt therapy without the unique content and character of pastoral care or the Gestalt therapy being lost. By utilizing the intervention model abused late adolescents are assisted with the necessary awareness to focus on what is on their foreground in order to reach self-regulation of their emotional experience. The intervention model was developed as a prototype intervention based on Enright's forgiveness process model and components of both the pastoral base theory and the Gestalt therapeutic process of the Schoeman working model. The research was performed by using a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach. The qualitative approach entails the use of applied intervention in intervention research while the quantitative approach consists of measuring the respondents' experiences of guilt, shame and forgiveness, using three standardized rating scales before and after intervention. The researcher applied the intervention research design in a multiple case study with five respondents and a single-system design was incorporated into the intervention research. The measurement of respondents' experiences of guilt, shame and forgiveness after intervention, determined whether the changes took effect, attributable to their participation in the intervention. Following the research findings the conclusion was made that the pastoral Gestalt therapeutic intervention model can be used effectively to guide abused late adolescents who experience guilt and shame, to forgiveness. / In die navorsing is 'n pastorale Gestaltterapeutiese intervensiemodel ontwikkel, geimplementeer en geevalueer om die terapeutiese proses van skuld en skaamte na vergifnis te fasiliteer. Skuld en skaamte kan traumatiese selfbewuste ervaringe wees wat mishandelde laat-adolessente se fisieke, psigiese, sosiale, emosionele, morele en religieuse ontwikkeling beinvloed. Dit kan bepalend vir die adolessente se gedrag wees, asook hul siening van hulself en hul interpersoonlike verhoudinge. Skuld en skaamte wek gevoelens van magteloosheid, woede, blaam, bitterheid en die behoefte na vergelding, terwyl vergifnis hierdie impulse kan verlig en effektief benut kan word as 'n bron van die herstelervaring. In die antwerp van die intervensiemodel het die navorser die adolessente se emosionele ervaring, gedrag en hantering van skuld, skaamte en vergifnis vanuit 'n pastorale basisteorie binne die Gestaltterapeutiese perspektief bestudeer. Die vorming van die paradigma is geskoei op 'n multidissiplinere benadering wat op die tussenvlak tussen pastoraat en Gestaltterapie plaasvind, sander om die eiesoortige inhoud en karakter van die pastoraat of die Gestaltterapie verlore te laat gaan. Deur benutting van die intervensiemodel is mishandelde laat-adolessente begelei om met die nodige bewustheid te fokus op dit wat op hul voorgrond is ten einde selfregulering van hul emosionele belewenis te bereik. Die intervensiemodel is ontwikkel as 'n prototipe intervensie deur Enright se vergifnis prosesmodel en komponente van sowel die pastorale basisteorie as die Gestaltterapeutiese proses van die Schoeman-werkmodel te gebruik. Die navorsing is vanuit die gemengde kwalitatiewe-kwantitatiewe benadering onderneem. Die kwalitatiewe benadering het die gebruik van toegepaste intervensie in 'n intervensienavorsingsmodel behels en die kwantitatiewe benadering die meting van die respondente se ervaring van skuld, skaamte en vergifnis, met behulp van drie gestandaardiseerde metingskale, voor en na intervensie. Die navorser het die intervensienavorsingontwerp in 'n meervoudige gevallestudie met vyf respondente toegepas en 'n enkelsisteemontwerp in die intervensienavorsing gei"nkorporeer. Die meting van die respondente se ervaring van skuld, skaamte en vergifnis na intervensie, het bepaal of die veranderinge wat ingetree het, toegeskryf kan word aan hul deelname aan die intervensieprogram. Na aanleiding van die navorsingsresultate is die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die pastorale Gestaltterapeutiese intervensiemodel effektief gebruik kan word om mishandelde laat-adolessente wat skuld en skaamte ervaar, na vergifnis te begelei. / Social Work / D.Diac. (Play Therapy)

In South Africa the Center for Child Youth and Family Studies is training practitioners yearly to work as play therapists from a gestalt approach. Once these practitioners successfully complete their training and qualify they could begin practicing play therapy from a gestalt approach. Each of these recently qualified play therapists is then responsible for organising and committing to their own supervision. Therapists who do not attend supervision risk stagnation and burn out due to a lack of positive interaction in relation to receiving knowledge and support from those more experienced in gestalt play therapy and from their peers. At present there is a perceived lack of supervision resources based on a gestalt approach particularly for those recently qualified play therapists working from a gestalt approach that are geographically distant from the areas where training takes place. This study sought to answer the question of what supervision resources are currently available to recently qualified play therapists working from a gestalt approach in South Africa. In order to answer this question combined quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. An internet survey questionnaire was completed by recently qualified play therapists working from a gestalt approach which formed part of the quantitative section of the research. Structured interviews were conducted via Skype with professionals experienced in the field of Gestalt therapy theory and supervision from a gestalt approach and this formed part of the qualitative section of the research. Overall the results from the merged data indicate a lack of supervisors qualified to give supervision based on a gestalt approach. This factor contributes to the overall lack of supervision resources based on a gestalt approach for recently qualified play therapists working from this approach. Geographical distance from supervision resources places financial and time constraints on recently qualified play therapists that prevent them from accessing supervision based on a gestalt approach. Despite this results indicate those recently qualified play therapists working from a gestalt approach are attempting to meet their responsibility and requirement for supervision. / Psychology / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

This research was directed at determining the value of Gestalt play therapy for the high school learner with Spina Bifida. By undertaking a literature study regarding the child with Spina Bifida, as well as Gestalt play therapy, it was possible to determine what needs and difficulties these learners experience and how Gestalt play therapy can be implemented to address these needs and difficulties. The researcher concludes that any high school learner experiences a lot of developmental changes, but for the learner with Spina Bifida there are not only the social, personal, physical and emotional changes, but also the fact that because of the disability, more support and help structures are needed. It became evident that, for these learners, Gestalt play therapy is a very effective and useful intervention technique. Learners were guided towards awareness of themselves, as well as their inner strength to face the unfinished business in their lives. / Social work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major concern in the South African society. Although policies and legislation are directed at the protection of children, the high incidence of child sexual abuse is indicative of problems in society which cannot be addressed adequately with current service delivery. Individual interventions with children directly affected with CSA are still the norm, and even such services are inadequate to accommodate the high numbers of children affected by CSA. There is a polarity in terms of the shortage of social workers versus the need for intervention for this vulnerable group. Innovative and effective approaches to intervention for families affected by CSA were clearly needed. Based on practical experience in the field of CSA the researcher was interested in family play therapy as a possible approach to address CSA. Not only would more people be reached with limited services, but by involving family members in intervention it was envisaged that family systems would be strengthened, family members would be more attuned to each other and that the family would be more able to provide a safe space for the direct victim between sessions. Furthermore family members would be enabled to attend to their own processes of integration regarding the CSA. Intervention research guided this study aimed at developing tools for the helping profession. The research question focused on what the typical components would be of an integrated family play therapy approach. Participant groups included professionals working in the field of CSA. Focus groups and discussion groups with such professionals and also a literature review helped the researcher to identify functional elements to be included in a preliminary family play therapy model that was applied to four families who were affected by CSA. During the family play therapy sessions rich information was obtained on the experiences of families. Based on the data collection from the various participant groups an integrated family play therapy model was developed. Findings are reported in three articles. Article 1 outlines the views of professionals on family play therapy within the context of child sexual abuse in South Africa. The professional participants agreed that individual intervention in the context of CSA is not the ideal and that systemic, Gestalt-based family play therapy may offer avenues for trauma integration for family members. They also indicated that they do not have adequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. They made some suggestions for the incorporation of play in family play therapy interventions. The second article captured the experiences of family members as expressed in the family play therapy context and article 3 outlined an integrated family play therapy model based on the previous phases of the intervention research. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experience of an only-child adolescent’s lived experience of parental divorce. Gestalt field and phenomenological theory in conjunction with current literature provided an overview of the theoretical underpinnings pertaining to the study. A qualitative research approach with a case study of an only-child adolescent dealing with parental divorce was conducted in an ethical manner by means of two face to face, one-on-one, in depth interviews. Two main themes were identified. The first being experienced feelings associated with grief and bereavement, which revealed feelings of anger in the notion that the participant’s childhood was lost as a result of the divorce and being caught between the parental conflicts. The participant seemed to take it upon herself to take care of those significant to her in fear that she would lose them and that the loss would continue to be repeated. It was further revealed that when the only-child adolescent felt a loss of her own identity she in turn felt out of control. The second theme identified was; experience pressure due to being an only-child. Pressure in being an only-child was very significant surrounding the participant. The participant shared a great deal of feelings pertaining to feeling lonely and longing for a sibling. As parents in divorce situations seem to be focussed on their divorce often the child suffers from stress and the unrealistic expectations parents often have surrounding their children. In this study the only-child could not seem to cope with the pressure and in times of despair made use of coping mechanisms, mainly that of cutting to compensate for the emotional pain experienced. The researcher is of the opinion that the study delivered new found awareness into the only-child adolescent’s lived experience of parental divorce and is in hope that the new found results are utilised as a platform for further studies about this vulnerable population. / MSW (Play Therapy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a major concern in the South African society. Although policies and legislation are directed at the protection of children, the high incidence of child sexual abuse is indicative of problems in society which cannot be addressed adequately with current service delivery. Individual interventions with children directly affected with CSA are still the norm, and even such services are inadequate to accommodate the high numbers of children affected by CSA. There is a polarity in terms of the shortage of social workers versus the need for intervention for this vulnerable group. Innovative and effective approaches to intervention for families affected by CSA were clearly needed. Based on practical experience in the field of CSA the researcher was interested in family play therapy as a possible approach to address CSA. Not only would more people be reached with limited services, but by involving family members in intervention it was envisaged that family systems would be strengthened, family members would be more attuned to each other and that the family would be more able to provide a safe space for the direct victim between sessions. Furthermore family members would be enabled to attend to their own processes of integration regarding the CSA. Intervention research guided this study aimed at developing tools for the helping profession. The research question focused on what the typical components would be of an integrated family play therapy approach. Participant groups included professionals working in the field of CSA. Focus groups and discussion groups with such professionals and also a literature review helped the researcher to identify functional elements to be included in a preliminary family play therapy model that was applied to four families who were affected by CSA. During the family play therapy sessions rich information was obtained on the experiences of families. Based on the data collection from the various participant groups an integrated family play therapy model was developed. Findings are reported in three articles. Article 1 outlines the views of professionals on family play therapy within the context of child sexual abuse in South Africa. The professional participants agreed that individual intervention in the context of CSA is not the ideal and that systemic, Gestalt-based family play therapy may offer avenues for trauma integration for family members. They also indicated that they do not have adequate knowledge and skills to engage in family play therapy. They made some suggestions for the incorporation of play in family play therapy interventions. The second article captured the experiences of family members as expressed in the family play therapy context and article 3 outlined an integrated family play therapy model based on the previous phases of the intervention research. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014